Early in the morning, the sun comes up. Look out of your window. Is it . . .
Frosty, foggy, wet, windy, hot, hailing, stormy, snowing?
What’s the weather like today?
This delightful and educational children’s book starts out by introducing children to the concept of weather. Inviting them to open the window and look outside, it then illustrates each of the above listed weather conditions so the child can find the word to best describe what it looks like outside.
On hot days, bees buzz, tired dogs search for shade, ice tastes nice, plants need a drink, too. We don’t wear many clothes, and everyone likes to be outdoors. What do you do on hot days?
With carefully chosen words to describe the characteristics of a summer day, the book goes on to tell the child about different outdoor temperatures and discuss what we can do when it feels like that outside. Then we read about different countries that are hot or cold, and different animals who live in those climates. We’re even asked to name some of these animals.
Then we talk about the four seasons and the things that traditionally happen in them, such as spring being the time when lambs and chicks are born. We read some silly rhymes about weather, and we even learn about floods. The book ends with the question, “What will the weather be tomorrow?”
I liked this book for the simplicity of the drawings, and for the way it lays out its message in many layers. It’s not just about rain. It’s not just about cold. We learn about where it’s cold and who lives there. While none of the pages go into great depth and detail, they provide the perfect jumping-off point for parents to talk about other cold places and other things to do when it’s raining outside.
(This book was published by Viking in 1995.)
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